Paper short abstract:

Rising Powers are recognised as key drivers of the global economy. Centres of global production and increasingly consumption. What is not known is how Rising Power lead firms are shaping the geographies of global value chains, and with what consequences for governance and sustainability concerns.

Paper long abstract:

The significance of emerging economies, notably China, India and Brazil, is well recognised. China is the 'factory to the world', India a major global player in the fast expanding IT-related services, and Brazil a leading global supplier of various primary commodities. These Rising Powers have also witnessed rising domestic consumption and the emergence of an affluent middle class. These developments are being studied. What we know little about is how Rising Power firms organise and shape global value chains (GVC). The GVC framework has attracted substantial interest amongst development academics studying contemporary globalisation and the global division of labour. It is also centre stage in policy discussions on global trade dynamics in many leading international development policy agencies (including UNCTAD, UNIDO, the World Trade Organisation, FAO and the OECD). As UNCTAD (2013) notes the vast majority of global trade now occurs through GVC linkages. A core assumption in the GVC literature is that GVCs are orchestrated solely from the global north, with limited agency for southern firms. This paper challenges this view. It argues that the Rising Power lead firms are shaping the geographies of GVCs and with consequences for governance and sustainability concerns. It draws on extensive secondary and primary evidence gathered through an ESRC funded study undertaken in Brazil, China and India, to ask two key questions. First, how do firms from China, India and Brazil internationalise and organise GVC linkages? Second, in what ways do these RP-led GVCs differ from their northern counterparts, and with what consequences?

Paper short abstract:

This paper aims to present how to improve the governance of global trade and the WTO to better advance sustainable development and respond to the needs of developing countries. Especially it will be characterized the role of rising powers in shaping sustainable trade regime.

Paper long abstract:

This paper aims to present how to improve the governance of global trade and the WTO to better advance sustainable development and respond to the needs of developing countries. Especially it will be characterized the role of rising powers in shaping sustainable trade regime. Paper will also focus on implications of agricultural trade liberalization for the sustainable development of developing countries.

Developing countries more efficiently want to execute their interests in the current round of trade negotiations. It is facilitated by consolidation of the opinions of developing countries forming the G-20 Group, which have become a significant force, able to stand against the negotiation position of the highly developed countries. The G-20 Group member states refused to open their market until farmers from the developed countries stop being subsidised by their countries. These countries firmly demanded a change in the politics of the rich countries related to agriculture and market of agricultural products. Significant limitation of agricultural subsidies was demanded for, a change in customs politics and decreasing import limits for this group of goods. According to G-20 Group member states, stopping subsidies for agriculture would lead to its much faster integration with the world trade system.

Paper short abstract:

China has become an influential player in the international development landscape based on their economic growth. This paper will explore how China is reshaping and challenging the concept of sustainability through a hybrid model of development assistance in Sub - Saharan Africa.

Paper long abstract:

China's process of economic growth has led to their emergence as a major player in the global economy and international development landscape. Donors classified as Development Assistance Countries (DAC) have a clearly defined and established aid model. This is formalised in conditional agreements channeled bilaterally or through organisations such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Meanwhile, China's form of assistance does not adhere to these standards. Their own development experience has shaped how "aid" and sustainability is conceived and practiced. This translates into China's unique development assistance model based on trade, investment, and aid. By challenging existing models of aid, China has influenced development cooperation with Sub - Saharan African countries giving them more leverage. In effect, China blurs the line between business and aid in an attempt to ensure mutual benefits for themselves and recipient countries. However, at times this does not result in a win-win scenario. The authors will investigate through case study and document review of select development cooperation projects how this is an emerging outcome. Further, this paper will frame sustainability through the lens of China whilst exploring the socio - economic impacts from the application of China's aid model on Sub - Saharan African countries.

Paper short abstract:

This paper interrogates factors that driving or deterring bilateral cooperation in clean energy transitions between two major developing countries: China and South Africa. It shows that the Chinese wind and solar energy activities are developed in a unique manner compared to other energy projects.

Paper long abstract:

This paper interrogates factors that are driving or deterring bilateral cooperation in clean energy transitions between two major developing countries: China and South Africa. Based on intensive field research in both countries, we examine the role of Chinese state, quasi-state and non-state actors' involvement in South Africa's solar PV and wind energy sectors. We argue that although there is an increasingly stronger political rhetoric from both Chinese and South African governments to emphasis the potential benefits of bi-lateral cooperation on climate change and sustainable development, most of the China's renewable energy activities in South Africa are mainly commercially driven, particularly due to the increasingly globalised, competitive and nationally protected production chains of renewable energy technology, and the desire of key industrial wind and solar PV companies to reconfigure their production capacity around the globe. Political incentives and motivations, therefore, have played only a limited role to date in promoting the activities of Chinese companies in South Africa's wind and solar PV sectors. The rhetoric of 'green cooperation' is essentially backed by strong industrial and corporate interests, which makes its implementation pattern largely different from other highly politicalised Chinese energy projects often seen in Africa, namely in the large hydro or nuclear sectors. However, such industrial driven green cooperation would face significant challenges in the long run, because with only symbolic support from the state, there can be a significant shortage of financial resources that are needed for the clean energy transition in sub-Saharan Africa.

Paper short abstract:

The institutional setting of Indonesian South-south Cooperation cultivates an 'Indonesian Way' of cooperation that grounded in its historical narrative and internal good governance agenda while negotiating the global development context.

Paper long abstract:

Indonesian South-south Cooperation is intrinsically grounded in its national constitution, historical perspective, and national policy. On the other hand, Southern countries understand the need to adhere to international development norms but often present a different narrative on implementation. Therefore, the question of how Indonesia negotiates and develops its South-south Cooperation mechanism within its national narrative and the global context is explored. This paper will discuss the perspective of Indonesia as a provider county expresses its national identity and its bureaucratic narrative through its South-south cooperation policy. This paper presents the findings from seven months of fieldwork through in-depth interviews with policy makers, donors, and related development partners and secondary data collection in Indonesia and Myanmar. This paper will explain the current setting of Indonesian South-south Cooperation institutional including how the bureaucrats negotiate the global development cooperation framework, balancing foreign and development policy, as well as collaborating with its partners. It will specifically explore how the government expects to bring out the 'Indonesian Way' of Indonesian South-south Cooperation policy that constitutes the political narrative and its national identity witihin the internal bureaucratic good governance reform. This paper concludes by arguing that while global institutions have shaped the framework for development cooperation, Southern countries like Indonesia negotiate and restructure the mechanism that suits their internal priorities. Thus, the future of Indonesian South-south Cooperation remains relevant as it continuously reshapes within its policy.